Preface
For those of us living in the contemporary era, we don't have a strong sense of the phrase "people take food as the sky". In fact, this sentence has run through the entire history of China, and the issue of food and clothing has always been the top priority of the Chinese.
Looking back at history, we will find one thing, whoever feeds the people, then this dynasty will most likely exist for a long time.
The people don't care who is on the dragon chair at all, as long as the people can live a good life and fill their stomachs, then you are a good emperor.
When we watch costume dramas, we will be attracted by their rich diet, but when we turn the pages of history and find out the truth, we will find that famine occurs all year round, and it is the norm for the people to have insufficient food and clothing.
The food in ancient times is far less colorful than we imagined, and even very different, if you are lucky enough to travel back, you may not be able to swallow those meals in one bite.
Scarce strategic material "salt"
"Salt" is the best seasoning when cooking, and without salt, the resulting meal will be tasteless. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, salt was regarded as a strategic material, and it had the same status as iron.
When the ruler mastered iron, he mastered the forging of weapons, and when he mastered salt, he could better grasp the people.
Because the imperial court has extremely strict control over salt, the salt that the people can really get in their hands is very small, and they can only ensure that they will not starve to death.
Some people with flexible minds will try their best to secretly get some salt, which is called "private salt". It's good not to be discovered, but if he is discovered, then he will be killed!
Therefore, most of the people's meals are tasteless, and the food they eat is hemp, millet, millet, etc., such simple grains.
The pork is too greasy, and cattle and horses are forbidden to be slaughtered
As for meat, it was not as free as we are now, first of all, pork, because it was too fatty and not liked at all.
It wasn't until the advent of Dongpo meat that people discovered that pork could be made delicious by slow cooking and adding various seasonings, but ordinary people couldn't afford to eat it at all.
The second is beef, horse meat, cattle as a helper in people's work, there are very strict laws. If someone is found to have committed suicide, the cow will be locked up in a "prison".
Not even princes and kings. Only when the sacrifice is made to heaven can the princes get some beef, and ordinary people don't even think about beef. And horses, as a means of transportation during war, should not be slaughtered privately.
Over time, whole grains were discovered, and stone grinding tools were invented. These things greatly increase the quality of food for the people. People are also starting to pay attention to some cooking and cooking skills.
Society progresses, and diet continues to evolve
The food culture of Chinese civilization is also constantly updating and iterating, and slowly some people have sorted out the "Eight Treasures" cooking skills, using this method, not only to prepare a variety of dishes, but also to make the original food materials, more attractive and delicious.
People in different places use different spices and cooking methods. Gradually, each region developed a unique culinary culture. What is remarkable is that the birth of the spicy method caused a huge sensation for a while.
During this period, a variety of cooking techniques such as minced garlic, braised and steamed were born. In order to be loved by various emperors, the chefs have continuously evolved the food culture and laid a solid foundation for the Chinese cooking system.
However, the ancients still had very little to eat. Some netizens will ask: "Didn't the Silk Road introduce a lot of things in the Han Dynasty? ”
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up the Hexi Corridor
Indeed, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the opening of the Silk Road not only increased the influence of the Han Dynasty, but also introduced many exotic species, such as cucumbers, garlic, carrots, grapes, pomegranates, including various poultry, etc.
However, these introduced foods or fruits have a strict hierarchy. Usually only some high-ranking officials and nobles can enjoy it, and the common people can't enjoy it at all.
In the Tang Dynasty, the staple food of the common people changed dramatically from the early years. Due to the development of agriculture in the Tang Dynasty, wheat gradually replaced corn and became the mainstream food in the mouths of the people.
In the past, the people were keen to steam or boil, but after that, the people preferred to fry or fry. When it came to the Two Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty, the perennial war, the people didn't mention whether the food was good or not, and it was good to have something to eat.
There are often natural disasters, and even the grain in the field cannot be grown. When there is no harvest or the harvest is bad, the people can only eat leaves, dig wild vegetables, etc.
In the event of locust plagues, droughts, and the bursting of the Yellow River, the people can only dig up grass roots, gnaw tree bark, and even eat Guanyin soil in order to survive, and even "cannibalism" will occur.
"Kannon soil, cowhide drum"
There is a saying among the people: "If you die of hunger, you don't eat Guanyin soil, and if you die poor, you don't buy cowhide drums." ”
Because the human body cannot digest Guanyin soil, when people eat Guanyin soil, although they will feel full, they will have bloating and inability to defecate. Eating only a little bit will not kill you, but the people who have been hungry for a long time can not care about this, and eventually many people will die because of it.
The cowhide drum in the latter sentence is because the drum surface is made of cowhide, once there is a famine, the people can cut the drum surface and steam it, although it is not delicious, but it will not endanger the safety of life.
epilogue
With the strength of the continent and the continuous rise of grain production capacity, we now do not have to worry about whether there is enough food.
With the improvement of living standards, we have also changed from being full to pursuing a variety of delicacies. In today's costume film and television dramas, there are big fish and meat at every turn, and the diet is rich.
There are many netizens who want to travel back in time and experience the life of the ancients. If we really travel back, we can't accept just eating this one, let alone other things.
We should be glad that we live in such a modern country with abundant resources. Remembering the bittersweet and sweet, we must cherish the hard-won food.
Bibliography:
China Economic Net: The per capita share of grain in the mainland is higher than the world average.
State Information Office of the People's Republic of China: China's Food Problem
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China: "Rivers on the Hexi Corridor"